British Forces News: Sea King’s final flight over Helmand

The Sea King Mk 4 helicopters have flown for the last time over the skies of Helmand as their mission in Afghanistan comes to an end.

Over the last year, UK forces have routinely flown fewer helicopter hours each month than the maximum available helping to make the decision to remove excess helicopter capacity from operations.

There has been nearly a 30 per cent reduction in insurgent attacks in central Helmand compared to this time last year. The British area of operations in Helmand have reduced as the US have assumed responsibility for Sangin, Musa Qal’ah and Kajaki.

It now means that the Sea King 4 aircrews will be able to start training on the newer, more capable Merlin helicopters.

Sea King Mk 4 helicopter is now substituted on its actions by U.S. Merlin helicopter.
But it is not completely congeded, as it will start training of U.S. helicopter, for it experience on war theater.
A substitution of air means or a collaboration? Both the two hypothesis.
Claudio Alpaca

The British Sea King Mk 4s will be replaced by British Merlin helicopters, Claudio, not US ones. The UK Merlin Force arrived in Afghanistan in November 2009, having been previously deployed in Iraq. Nearly two years on, Merlin has proved to be a hugely capable asset to the UK’s Joint Helicopter Force in Afghanistan.